Pages

Search This Blog

Wednesday, 7 April 2010

I though I'd already posted this via Youtube but it obviously failed. Anyway, we are back! After about a month blocked by a copyright claim, YouTube have finally put us back online after the claim was rejected.

When the claim was made we were left extremely baffled. What could a Japanese gaming company possibly own in BoH? I panicked that maybe one of our sound effects sounded like it was from a game. We contacted all the sound guys, no one had used anything but copyright free library effects. What could it be?You might think, "well surely Youtube tell you what the claim is?" of course not. That would make sense! No, all YouTube do is take down your video and tell you the name of the person/company who has an issue with it. Desperate to find out the claim before I counter claim and potentially end up in court for making a false claim, I called Konami in the USA. The receptionist took my details for someone to call me back, she probably filed them straight into the trash bin. The next day I called again and was told that she couldn't put me through to the law dept without a name. Nothing but a frustrating dead end!

I tried calling YouTube and got an automated message which eventually sent me straight back to the website. Useful!

Meanwhile Chris Dane also started some investigations. With more luck. Chris managed to discover that Konami actually had a branch in London and unlike the US got hold of a lawyer straight away. He's already heard about the issue from a journalist who had tried to get the story. The lawyer didn't know what the issue was but agreed to contact the Japanese branch to try to find out. They came back saying that they knew nothing about it and had no issue with BoH at all. The lawyer then contacted the Americans who also knew nothing about it and were actually quite concerned that someone on YouTube was possibly using their name.

So with this knowledge a counter claim was made and Konami also contacted YouTube from their end. We got an automated message saying the claim had been registered and if accepted the video would be reinstated.

Well as you all know the video was indeed reinstated but we still have no explaination as to what actually happened.